Introduction: Observations on Growing A Business

This small spot on the web is dedicated to the most amazing economic engine the world has ever seen – small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in America. SMBs employ half the workers in the U.S. and generate about one-third of all sales. They are the caldron from which most innovations flow. A great deal of the wealth in America is generated and held by the owners of small and medium-sized businesses.

Owning a business is not easy, especially one that is trying to grow. The pressures are great, but so are the rewards. Some of these businesses become large, well-known brands. Some, a few too many, fail. But, most continue on. A majority of owners want their businesses to grow, but we have seen many that are quite content to have a stable business that provides a good living without the pressures of growth.

This forum is focused on serving the group of business owners that want to grow. We have been fortunate to inspect first-hand the factors required to grow a business. These factors include the people, legal, financial, marketing, operations, and multitude of other individual elements that it takes to grow a business successfully. We also have been fortunate to collaborate with a number of thought leaders from these various fields and others to organize our observations into material that may be useful for those leaders that want to grow their businesses.

In particular, the team at NOW Corp, an amazing and diverse group of smart, talented and dedicated people who are succeeding in changing the world, thinks long and hard about growth. Not just the growth of NOW Corp, but how to help our clients grow, which in turns helps the economy grow. Our clients want to grow. If they didn’t, they probably would not need us.

In the following posts, we will share our observations and practical tips, including best practices and shining examples of successful business growth, that you can put to work in growing your own business.

We would appreciate the benefit of your thinking and comments about our posts.